Microsoft Beam is now called Mixer. ( Eurogamer)

Microsoft's streaming service Beam has been re-named - it's now called Mixer.

The Twitch-rival is also getting two new features: co-streaming for multiple people to broadcast on a single channel, and mobile support to stream while on the move.

"If you're playing with your friends you can bring all of those streams together on one channel page," Mixer boss Matt Salsamendi told Eurogamer in an interview.

"Your viewers can watch all those perspectives together and switch between them, too."

All of this will be baked into the Xbox One user interface just as the service is currently.

"You hit the guide button, launch the app. You'll also be able to invite someone to co-stream with you, they get a little toast notification and can join in," Salsamendi explained. "And it works across platform, so on Windows, mobile you have ways to co-steam."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-05-25-microsofts-twitch-rival-gets-new-co-streaming-and-mobile-features

https://mixer.com/?origin=beam

Ok

I checked it out for a bit and it looks like a very cool service. Hopefully it catches on and more people start using it.

Omg! I need to buy an xbone now!

STOP THE PRESSES!

I don't know who's naming stuff at MS but they really need some better people doing.

Beam is a much better name than Mixer.

Groove is kind of a wack name too.

This makes me think they are gonna name Scorpio something dumb too like Xbox One X.

I don't know why they just don't stick with XBOX and attach whatever it is to that.

Xbox Music

Xbox Streaming

Xbox Game Pass.

Just my two cents ?

Like Zune became Xbox Music became Groove.

Microsoft likes rebranding things when they're not successful.

That being said, the latency and co-streaming are pretty cool.

It's pretty cool, never going to be a serious rival to twitch though. That juggernaut will never slow down

Pretty sure they had to change the name because apparently "Beam" was taken already in a number of major markets... and they wanted to keep a unified brand name so hence the change. But yeah, not sure about Mixer...

Rebranding, as they call it. I preferred Beam, but this one is more in line with its functionality.

It was. If you google Beam the first few that came up were not beam.pro

That was the reason for the change according to CNBC.

Mixer is a dumb name. Just like Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Microsoft is great making garbage names with the Surface brand being the exception. I can't wait to hear the officially dumb name they conjured up for Project Scorpio.

Mixer does remind me of the trend among site names, the 'er (or just r) trend. Friendster. Flickr. Tumblr.

I do wonder if "Mixers on Mixer" are going to become a thing, people housing drinking parties on their streams.

I don't see this really succeeding, though. Kind of like YouTube vs. Vimeo. Vimeo had some great things going for it... but people are so embedded into the YouTube community, it made more sense to wait until YouTube added a few of those features themselves.

Latency, co-streaming... Twitch'll likely have those features within a year or two.

Incredibly stupid name. Should have come up with something closer to Beam if it was taken in foreign markets.

Sounds like a hookup site. Feature soiunds cool tho.

MSoft continuing to make gaming better as usual.

Went to a mixer last night and caught a Friday 13th broadcast. The time delay on twitch is a killer. Twitch needs to step up there game. Streamers will benefit a lot with the co-stream feature.

LOL this is like HD DVD vs Blu Ray they have no chance against Twitch.

That's an odd name.

Twitch has been out for years and it still doesn't have those features while beam released with those day one almost a full year ago. The lack of much lag between the streamer and the viewers is a big draw for those who enjoy interacting with fans. given that its microsoft's creation and not a small dev team i expect support to only grow overtime.

It wont overtake twitch,but it doesn't have to

I have changed the name of my scrotum to ballbag.

@lawlessx: It didn't have those features because the competition wasn't there. Now it is, and those features aren't far behind.

Beam is a good service, but Microsoft has a really hard time marketing stuff to the cool kids.

Finkel is Einhorn, Einhorn is Finkel. It's still the same company!

What they are putting together however is available to everyone, and is Superior to Twitch and YouTube. I don't stream much, but would prefer what they are doing. The level of interaction, the co-op streaming views. It's pretty cool.

Wtf, why didn't Loe make a thread about that? How did the stocks react?

Lol, this just shows its a complete dud :P

They could not get global rights to the name Beam, so they had to change the name for legal reasons.

can't expect anything less from geniuses behind Zune

@loe12k:

I understand that but Beam made sense and this does not.

@funsohng:

Yeah, zune was a stupid name as well.

Mixer comes across more as a name you'd use for a music service or to promote your sound mixing program. :P Beam was a far better name for video game broadcasting.

They should have been funny and called it PSWhat?

You spoke too early about that one.

Phil Spencer Open to Releasing Microsoft’s Video Game Streaming Service “Mixer” on PlayStation

Multiplat that bitch. :)

It is pretty cool that it can stream in 4K and also allows 4 way co-op streaming thats a new twist on it.

Here is a co-stream.

https://mixer.com/WardogYTG

Actually I used it and it's much better then Twitch.

The latency is top notch.

What a terrible name.

It's just a name. I think it's fine. What's so awesome about a name like Twitch? It's a pretty dumb name too when you think about it.

Mixer is pretty damn impressive and it's being fine tuned. They are taking applications for active streamers, and offering some nice stuff to give away to viewers. There is almost zero lag. As soon as someone sends a message it is instantaneous on the stream.

For now it is the superior place to stream and they have an interesting way to monetize it over traditional commercials.

Just wait for the official name for Project Scorpio. It would most likely be worse.

Beam was a better name. Wtf were they thinking changing it.

@lifelessablaze: Microsoft could not trademark "Beam" Globally. Yet for some reason they could with Mixer. They probably would have stuck with Beam otherwise.

microsoft sharing the love

Its interesting that they're doing that. A competitor is open to directly supporting another one with a service. I think everyone involved wins.

Some people disagree. There are many folks that believe gaming should remain the same childish exclusionary way it has been since the 80s.

Corny ad but the message is solid.

Should called it "beam me up softy"